Pixie Spot

NYC offers H1N1 assistance by telephone

New York City health officials said 311 telephone operators will provide guidance to those who feel sick with a flulike illness.

New York City's Web site and phone number for government information and non-emergency service -- 311 -- provides the public with quick access to all city government services and information.

If a resident or family member feels sick with flulike illness -- fever with cough or sore throat -- callers will be connected to registered nurses, who will provide information and advice on whether to seek care. For concerned patients who don't have or can't reach a regular healthcare provider, NYC FluLine is an alternative to standing in line at a hospital emergency department, health department officials said.

The call-center nurses will not make diagnoses or prescribe treatments but they will advise callers about whether to see a doctor or stay home, health officials said.

When necessary, on-call nurses will refer p...

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posted by Pixie @ 2:02 AM 0 comments

Concerns about outdoor second-hand smoke

Indoor smoking bans resulted in outdoor smoking areas but they may be creating a new health hazard, U.S. researchers suggest.

Indoor smoking bans have helped to create more of these outdoor environments where people are exposed to secondhand smoke, study co-author Luke Naeher, associate professor in the University of Georgia College of Public Health, says in a statement. We know from our previous study that there are measurable airborne levels of secondhand smoke in these environments, and we know from this study that we can measure internal exposure.

Naeher and colleagues recruited 20 non-smoking adults and placed them in outside bars, outside restaurants and, for the control group, outside the main library at University of Georgia. The county enacted an indoor smoking ban in 2005.

The team found an average increase of 162 percent in cotinine -- a metabolite of nicotine -- for the volunteers stationed at outdoor seating and stand...

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posted by Pixie @ 1:56 AM 0 comments

Obama warns Iran, N. Korea on nukes

President Barack Obama said the United States has begun talks with other nations on possible sanctions against Iran in response to its nuclear development.

Speaking in Seoul at a joint news conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Obama also cautioned North Korea about is nuclear program.

There are reports Iran has rejected a proposal to allow another country to convert its stockpile of enriched uranium into fuel rods for nuclear energy production, The New York times reported.

We've seen indications that for internal political reasons or perhaps because they are stuck in some of their own rhetoric, they are unable to get to 'yes,' Obama said in Seoul Thursday. As a consequence, we have begun discussion with our international partners on sanctions against Iran, and will develop a number of potential steps we can take that will indicate our seriousness.

Obama announced he is sending his North Korean envoy to Pyon...

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posted by Pixie @ 1:55 AM 0 comments

NHL: Philadelphia 3, Los Angeles 2

Rookie James van Riemsdyk scored the decisive goal early in the third period Wednesday, helping the Philadelphia Flyers overcome Los Angeles 3-2.

Van Riemsdyk, the second overall pick in the 2008 draft, delivered his sixth goal of the season 1:47 into the final period to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead in the opener of a five-game road trip.

Philadelphia got second-period goals from Mika Pyorala and Mike Richards to overcome a 1-0 deficit.

Brian Boucher gave up a first-period goal to Jarret Stoll and a power-play goal to Drew Doughty with 7:51 remaining in the third but protected the lead the rest of the way.

Boucher, who allowed four goals in his only other start of the season, made 35 saves to get the victory.

Jonathan Quick allowed the three Philadelphia scores on just 20 shots.

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posted by Pixie @ 1:28 AM 0 comments

NBA: Portland 87, Detroit 81

Steve Blake and Andre Miller each made two free throws in the final 10 seconds Wednesday and Portland fought off a big rally to down Detroit 87-81.

The Trail Blazers owned a 20-point lead heading into the fourth quarter only to have the Pistons close within two on a tip-in by Charlie Villanueva with 15 seconds to play.

Blake made his foul shots for a four-point lead with 10 seconds left and Miller converted two more with 5 seconds remaining.

Portland bounced back from its first loss in more than two weeks. The Trail Blazers suffered a setback in Atlanta Monday after winning six in a row.

Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge both scored 20 points and Blake had 17 for Portland, which moved into a tie with Denver atop the Northwest Division.

Rodney Stuckey led Detroit with 21 points and Villanueva had 20.

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posted by Pixie @ 1:08 AM 0 comments

Separated twin awakened from coma

One of the toddlers separated from her conjoined twin in a 32-hour operation in Australia was talking and appeared to be doing well, doctors said.

She looks brilliant, said neurosurgeon Wirginia Maixner. She's talking. She's being Trishna. She's behaving the way she normally did.

Trishna was awakened from an induced coma Thursday and doctors expect to wake her twin sister, Krishna, later in the day, The Times of London reported.

Trishna and Krishna, orphans from Bangladesh who turn 3 next month, were joined at the head and shared a skull, blood vessels and brain tissue before the marathon surgery and reconstruction by 16 surgeons and nurses at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

Maixner said brain scans showed no early signs of brain damage.

The brains look really, really good on the scans. We're really, really happy, she said.

The two girls were abandoned by their parents in Dhaka soon after birth...

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posted by Pixie @ 1:00 AM 0 comments

NBA: Dallas 99, San Antonio 94 (OT)

Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 of his 41 points in overtime Wednesday, lifting the Dallas Mavericks to a 99-94 victory over San Antonio.

The Mavericks won their fourth straight and improved to 9-3 for the season, the second-best record behind Phoenix in the Western Conference.

Nowitzki scored the final points of regulation on a tip-in with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth period, and then dominated the 5-minute extra period.

He gave Dallas the lead for good at 92-91 on a 3-point play with 2:28 remaining. San Antonio's Tim Duncan then missed a jumper and Jason Terry hit one for Dallas. After Duncan missed a hook shot, Nowitzki connected on a 3-point attempt to give the Mavericks a 97-91 advantage with 1:19 to go.

Nowitzki made 15-of-29 shots from the field and 10-of-12 from the line. Drew Gooden added 17 points and 10 rebounds and Jason Kidd handed out 12 assists.

Duncan led San Antonio with 22 points and Grant Hill had 15. The Spurs lost the...

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posted by Pixie @ 12:57 AM 0 comments

NBA: Utah 104, Toronto 91

Carlos Boozer scored 22 points and Deron Williams scored 20 in his return to the lineup Wednesday, carrying the Utah Jazz to a 104-91 win over Toronto.

Boozer also had 18 rebounds. Williams, who rejoined the Jazz after missing two games while his daughter underwent medical tests, added nine assists.

Andrei Kirilenko also scored 20 and Eric Maynor produced nine of his 15 points during a fourth-quarter run. Utah overcame the absence of Mehmet Okur (flu) and Ronnie Price (sprained big toe).

Chris Bosh had 32 points and 17 rebounds for Toronto, losers of three in a row.

The Jazz had only a one-point lead in the first minute of the fourth quarter before going on a 17-2 run.

Toronto has not beaten the Jazz since 2004.

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posted by Pixie @ 12:15 AM 0 comments

Telecom giants converge at Asia's top mobile show

Leaders of Asia Pacific telecom giants meet in Hong Kong Wednesday for the industry's top trade show in the region as they vie to dominate the world's fastest-growing and most diverse mobile market.

Mobile operators, handset makers, software companies and media groups will put their latest innovations on display at Mobile Asia Congress, the Asian segment of the world's premier telecom event held in Barcelona every year.

The number of mobile connections in the Asia Pacific is expected to cross the two billion mark this year, more than triple the 2003 figure, according to statistics released by organiser GSMA, a trade association for the global mobile industry.

By 2013, GSMA estimates that the number of mobile connections in the region will exceed three billion and account for half of the world's connections.

"The figures say how important...

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posted by Pixie @ 1:15 AM 0 comments

New charges in Mo. child sex case

New charges were added Tuesday in the case of a Missouri man and his four sons who allegedly engaged in years of sexual abuse of children.

Burrell Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence and his sons appeared in court, the Blue Springs Examiner reported. Mohler and three of the younger men said they were still trying to find lawyers.

Prosecutors added new rape charges against all five, while Mohler was also charged with use of a child in a sexual performance.

Several women have come forward, saying when they were children they were forced into bizarre sex acts. The allegations include charges that girls as young as 5 were forced to participate in weddings to older men.

One woman has said she was held in a basement at a Mohler farm near Bates City, where she gave birth to two children, court documents indicated. She said the newborn babies were buried under the floor.

Mohler's brother, Darrel, was arrested in Florida. Authorities...

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posted by Pixie @ 1:15 AM 0 comments

COL BKB: Kansas 57, Memphis 55

Cole Aldrich had 18 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday and No. 1 Kansas held on to edge Memphis 57-55 in a rematch of the 2008 national championship game.

Sherron Collins scored 12 and Xavier Henry added 11 for Kansas (2-0).

The Tigers (1-1) had a chance to win in the final seconds but a 3-point try by Elliott Williams hit the rim.

Williams, with 21 points, was the only Memphis player in double figures. The Tigers shot 34.5 percent from the field and made only 6-of-25 3-point attempts.

Williams hit a 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds to play to pull the Tigers to within one point. After Collins sank one of two free throws, Williams took the final shot of the game but came up short and Kansas got the rebound.

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posted by Pixie @ 1:13 AM 0 comments

Obama meets Premier Wen

U.S. President Barack Obama, concluding his China visit, met Wednesday with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao for talks on issues including trade.

It is my sincere hope that your current visit will lift the comprehensive and cooperative China-U.S. relations to a new level, Wen told Obama at their meeting, China Daily reported.

After his meeting with Wen, Obama planned to visit the Great Wall in the north suburb of Beijing before leaving for South Korea.

Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao held long talks Tuesday covering various issues. The two agreed to cooperate on climate change and on North Korea's return to the six-nation talks on its denuclearization.

Obama, while describing Tibet as part of China, urged his hosts to resume talks with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Hu said his talks with Obama were on an equal footing and called for rejection of protectionism in all its manifestations.

Obama's vis...

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posted by Pixie @ 1:05 AM 0 comments

NCAA: Oklahoma 72, UL-Monroe 61

Willie Warren had 24 points Tuesday in No. 17 Oklahoma's 72-61 victory over the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

Tony Crocker had 13 points for the Sooners (2-0), in the 1,500th win in school history and the 150th career win for Coach Jeff Capel.

Tony Hooper led the Warhawks (1-2) with 17 points.

UL-Monroe gave the Sooners an early scare with an 11-0 run that resulted in a 16-8 lead but Oklahoma battled back to take a 27-24 lead at halftime.

The Warhawks were able to take a 39-38 lead near the 6-minute mark of the second half on a layup by Jarvis Hill but the Sooners responded with a 9-0 run and led the rest of the way.

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posted by Pixie @ 12:52 AM 0 comments

COL BKB: Michigan State 75, Gonzaga 71

Durrell Summers scored 21 points and hit two crucial free throws late in the game Tuesday to pace second-ranked Michigan State to a 75-71 win over Gonzaga.

Summers' foul shots in the closing seconds locked up the win for the Spartans (2-0) after Gonzaga had come with 71-70 with 1:08 to go in the game. Seventeen of Summers' points came in the second half of the rematch of the classic, three-overtime Gonzaga win over Michigan State in the 2005 Maui Invitational.

Kalin Lucas scored 19 points and Raymar Morgan connected on 10-of-11 from the foul line to finish with 16 points for Michigan State, which had to come back from a 13-point first-half deficit for the home win.

The pesky Bulldogs (1-1) were led by Elias Harris with 17 points and nine boards, while Robert Sacre also had 17 points in defeat.

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posted by Pixie @ 12:42 AM 0 comments

Russell will rehire 1,200 union workers

Sportswear manufacturer Russell Athletic has agreed to rehire 1,200 Honduran workers it laid off after they unionized, the company announced.

The decision follows pressure by students and officials at U.S. colleges and universities intended to get the company to reinstate the employees, who were let go in January when the company closed the factory where they worked, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Administrators from 89 schools -- including Georgetown, UCLA, Boston College, Columbia, Harvard, New York University, Stanford, Michigan and North Carolina -- joined in the campaign, called United Students Against Sweatshops, the newspaper said.

As part of the campaign, colleges and universities either suspended or terminated licensing agreements through which Russell made athletic wear bearing school logos. Some of the agreements were worth more than $1 million in sales, the Times said.

The pressure campaign included pickets at NBA games, distribut...

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posted by Pixie @ 12:34 AM 0 comments

Cross burned at home of mixed-race family

Investigators said they were trying to identify the people who lit a cross on the front lawn of a white Pittsburgh-area couple with a black adopted son.

Joe and Mary Walbeck of West Wheatfield told WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, the family was hurt by the cross-burning. Joe Walbeck said Shaquille Howard, 16, who has been part of their family for three years, had been accepted in the neighborhood and town.

The Walbecks discovered the 6-foot cross when they woke up Sunday morning.

Howard is a star on the football team at United High School. Joe Walbeck speculated the cross-burning might be connected to the team's loss in a playoff game Saturday.

I was shocked of what happened, he said. I've never had anything happen like this before and it just ate me up that someone would do something like this.

The state police are investigating and said the perpetrators could be charged with ethnic intimidation if they are cau...

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posted by Pixie @ 12:22 AM 0 comments

NBA: New Orelans 110, LA Clippers 102

David West's 24 points helped nail down the first win for New Orleans Hornets Coach Jeff Bower Tuesday in a 110-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers pulled to within 58-55 at 67 seconds into the third quarter but New Orleans responded with a 12-1 run to put the game away, capped by a 3-pointer from David Brown, who finished with 16 points for the Hornets.

Bower, the Hornets' general manager, took over the coaching duties last week for Byron Scott, who was fired.

Peja Stojakovic scored 15 points for the Hornets, who were again without guard Chris Paul, who sprained an ankle Friday's against Portland.

Al Thornton poured in 30 points and Baron Davis added 23 for the Clippers, who lost for the fourth time in five games.

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posted by Pixie @ 12:17 AM 0 comments

Americans see China as economic threat

As U.S. President Barack Obama traveled in China a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey indicated most Americans see the Communist country as an economic threat.

The findings released Monday found 71 percent of Americans consider China an economic threat to the United States, while two-thirds of the respondents said China is a source of unfair competition for U.S. companies, CNN reported.

The survey found 51 percent of Americans consider China a military threat, with 47 percent disagreeing. The report said the 4-point margin was within the poll's 4.5 percent sampling error.

Obama met with Chinese President Hu Jintao behind closed doors Tuesday in Beijing.

Later addressing a joint news conference, Hu said any national differences between the two countries were normal, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

We have both agreed to conduct dialogues and exchanges on issues including human rights and religion, in the spirit of eq...

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posted by Pixie @ 1:47 AM 0 comments

Hu says China-U.S. differences normal

Chinese President Hu Jintao, after his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, said Tuesday their countries must accommodate each other's core interests.

Obama, on the third day of his first China visit as president, met with Hu behind closed doors after receiving an honor guard at Beijing Great Hall of the People, CNN reported.

Speaking at a joint news conference after their meeting, Hu said any national differences between the two countries are normal, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

We have both agreed to conduct dialogues and exchanges on issues including human rights and religion, in the spirit of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, so as to boost understanding, mitigate differences and broaden consensus, Hu said.

Obama, speaking to students in Shanghai Monday, had stressed the importance of basic rights including freedom of information, expression, worship and political...

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posted by Pixie @ 1:42 AM 0 comments

NHL: Tampa Bay 4, Phoenix 1

Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier scored twice and added an assist Monday and the Lightning cruised to a 4-1 win over Phoenix.

Lecavalier got the game's first and last goals.

Alex Tanguay turned in a goal and assist and Martin St. Louis scored the other Lightning goal on a rebound shot.

Mike Smith, who hadn't started for two weeks, made 30 saves for Tampa Bay.

Adrian Aucoin scored for the Coyotes, who have lost five of their last seven games.

Phoenix goalie Jason LaBarbera turned back 15 shots.

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posted by Pixie @ 12:55 AM 0 comments

Air station issue not settled

The U.S.-Japan dispute over relocating a U.S. Marine air station on Okinawa is not yet settled despite last week's meeting between their leaders, officials say.

During his visit to Tokyo on his current Asian tour, U.S. President Barack Obama had cordial talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, but The Washington Post reported the two are not in agreement about the objective of a high-level working group they announced to work on the dispute over the future of the Futenma air station.

The air station on Okinawa Island has raised much concern among local residents because of aircraft noise, making it an irritant in U.S.-Japan bilateral relations.

The Post reported Obama noted the working group would focus only on implementing a 2006 agreement calling for the relocation of the air station within Okinawa. Obama administration officials later said the group will not be able to reopen or renegotiate the agreement.

As part of the 2006...

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posted by Pixie @ 12:52 AM 0 comments

COL BKB: Connecticut 77, Colgate 63

Stanley Robinson scored 18 points for No. 13 Connecticut, which used a 16-3 run Monday to take charge and roll past Colgate 77-63 in the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Robinson was 8-for-8 from the field.

Connecticut (2-0) broke up a close game with its run, started by a Robinson jump shot, early in the second half.

Gavin Edwards added 14 points for the Huskies, who move on to a game Tuesday against Hofstra, a 68-63 winner over Yale.

Mike Venezia led Colgate (0-1) with 17 points. Kyle Roemer and Yaw Gyawu scored 12 points each for the Raiders.

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posted by Pixie @ 12:42 AM 0 comments

Oral health an indicator of overall health

A U.S. dental professor says he sees the oral cavity as an indicator of overall health of the body.

Dr. Li Mao of the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore is a physician who wants to retool dental education so dentists practice more within the larger healthcare community.

Mao says in a study he led last year he found surface tissues inside the cheek could be checked to detect tobacco-induced damage in the lungs.

We hypothesized that tobacco-induced molecular alterations in the oral epithelium are similar to those in the lungs, Mao says in statement. This might have broader implications for using the mouth as a diagnostic indicator for general health.

Christian S. Stohler, dean of the University of Maryland Dental School, says Mao, previously a head and neck doctor at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, crosses the bridge between medicine and dentistry.

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posted by Pixie @ 12:42 AM 0 comments

NFL: Baltimore 16, Cleveland 0

Dawan Landry scored on a 48-yard interception return and Ray Rice ran 13 yards for a score Monday in a 16-0 Baltimore Ravens win over the Cleveland Browns.

The two touchdowns came within a 17-second span in the third quarter.

Steven Hauschka booted a 44-yard field goal for the Ravens (5-4) later in the third.

Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco completed 13-of-18 passes for 155 yards and Rice gained 89 yards on 20 carries.

Brady Quinn was 13-of-31 passing for 99 yards and two interceptions for Cleveland (1-8).

The Browns, who have scored only 78 points all season, did not come close to scoring against the Ravens, never advancing past the Baltimore 45-yard line.

Baltimore achieved its first shutout in three seasons.

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posted by Pixie @ 12:27 AM 0 comments

Suicide bombing kills three

A suicide bomb attack at a police checkpoint killed three people in the latest in a series of terror attacks in Pakistan's Peshawar area, police said.

In Monday's bombing at the Badbher police station outside Peshawar, the attacker blew up his explosives-laden vehicle, Dawn reported.

The explosion wounded at least 43 people and destroyed a mosque, several shops and houses and a section of the police station and a nearby college, the report said.

There had been a number of threats about an attack prior to the incident, officials said.

Peshawar, capital of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, and surrounding areas have been the target of a number of deadly militant attacks in retaliation for the monthlong military offensive against terror groups in neighboring South Waziristan trial area. The attacks have killed more than 300 people including civilians.

Police official Khurshid Khan told Dawn all of those killed Monday we...

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posted by Pixie @ 12:17 AM 0 comments

Conjoined twins separated in Australia

Surgeons in Melbourne have separated conjoined twins in an operation that lasted more than 26 hours, Royal Children's Hospital announced Tuesday.

Krishna and Trishna, orphans who were joined at the head when they were born in Bangladesh, were separated in a procedure that involved 16 surgeons and assistants and took two years to prepare, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Doctors had said there was just a 25 percent chance the surgery would be completely successful, ABC reported.

Chief of Surgery Leo Donnan said the twins will be kept under sedation for several days.

To see them as separate human beings is pretty special, he said. Getting to that point, when everyone has known these girls as one, with their individual personalities, to see them as separate human beings is a pretty amazing moment.

The twins were brought to Australia by the Children First Foundation, which issued a statement following the surgery saying...

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posted by Pixie @ 12:10 AM 0 comments